The American Dream--Puritan Style : 9/21/2010

     After reading chapter one of Jim Cullens The American Dream, I drew two conclusions concerning the Puritan's views on the American Dream.  To begin, I realized that the dream is never perceived exactly the same way.  For instance, Cullen's book states, "The problem with pursuing dreams, even shared ones, is that not everyone sees them in quite the same ways" (25).  Because no two people have the exact same mindset, attaining the goal [American Dream] can be a difficult task, which can create more discord rather than good.  Additionally, while an initial dream may be in mind, other dreams can easily shadow, if not erase, the original.  Cullen states, "Not only must they [dreams] compete with other dreams, but they are mortal, whether realized or not" (33).  In the Puritan's case, their ideal goal was to create a society where the worship of God--through personal suffering--gained them acceptance into Heaven.  However, their obsession with this acceptance led them to actions of destruction and murder.  After discovering the error of their ways, the Puritan's initial dream was lost.